


Training Is Important

by Anti_Gravity



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/F, Reyva
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-18 04:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5897509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anti_Gravity/pseuds/Anti_Gravity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is working hard at her Jedi training on Ahch-To. Jessika is continuing her training at the Resistance base on D'Qar. Their paths haven't yet crossed, but when they do, some of that training is going to come in handy. Slow burn Reyva, switching POVs from chapter to chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rey

**Author's Note:**

> So I had previously posted the first two chapters of this story, but it was rushed and I wasn't satisfied with any of it. I took a bit more time on it this go-round and fleshed it out quite a bit more, so my apologies if you'd already read it, but hopefully there's enough new material to make it worth a re-read. I deleted the old version because I'm a goon, so this is a reposting. Formerly titled "A Jedi Cannot Truly Love". Expect somewhat rapid updates at first.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is working hard at her Jedi training on Ahch-To. Jessika is continuing her training at the Resistance base on D'Qar. Their paths haven't yet crossed, but when they do, some of that training is going to come in handy. Slow burn Reyva, switching POVs from chapter to chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This (thoroughly reworked and extended) first chapter will be in Rey's POV.

“Reach out with The Force as far as you can. Tell me what you sense.”

Eyes sliding shut, beads of sweat formed on Rey’s forehead as she concentrated on following Master Skywalker’s directions. Her eyes were closed, but with the help of the Force, she became completely aware of her immediate surroundings. She could see the grass in her mind’s eye, gently swishing with the sea breeze. She watched a beetle crawl across a pile of rocks, then reached farther, toward the beach.

It had been extremely difficult, in the beginning, to separate her Force Vision from her imagination. Thankfully, Luke was patient with her, helping her to understand that she couldn’t just _picture_ her surroundings—she had to _feel_ them, sense them on a level she might not be familiar with yet. It took her several weeks to figure it out, and the difference was dramatic. Force Vision was less like imagination, and more like suddenly being able to see through absolutely _everything_ , minus the color. Like x-ray vision, almost. Force-sensitive beings, such as the Jedi Master, glowed more brightly than others. He explained that this was because she was not using The Force to look, but instead was actually _seeing_ The Force.

It was revelations like that one that made all the physical training absolutely worth it. Every day began with a full-tilt run up and down those cursed stone steps, and every evening ended with what could only be described as lightsaber Tai Chi. Rey had become extremely aware of every bit of her body’s location in space at any given moment, something she was still getting used to. She wasn’t even allowed to use Master Skywalker’s saber; instead, he’d had her cut a hilt-length measure of driftwood. It made a certain kind of sense, as the saber’s blade was made of light, meaning it added no weight or change of balance when extended. But it still would have been cool to practice with a real lightsaber, especially in the fading light of the island where the glow of the saber would be more pronounced.

The lines around Rey’s eyes tightened as she stretched out farther with her mind, reaching beyond the first breaking waves of the sea, past the shallows. This was as far as she’d been able to see before, but Luke expected much more of her by this point. He made no secret of his disappointment each time she told him she could go no further. She was still working on quelling her frustration, but he’d told her the source of her frustration was pride, that she needed to learn to let go of that before she could begin to really master herself. She’d never thought of herself as a prideful person, especially considering how humble and alone her upbringing had been. But she trusted the Jedi Master implicitly, so she was willing to admit she might still be clinging to a little pride.

“Breathe,” Luke reminded her. “Stop trying to see everything at once. Pick a direction, and then follow it to its end.”

“But the universe has no end,” Rey said.

“Then there is no limit to what you can see,” he replied.

It seemed impossible that she would ever see beyond the shallows of the island, but she clenched her jaw and kept trying. Sweat rolled down her temple, and she swiped at it hastily, furrowing her brow. It almost felt as though there was an invisible wall holding her back, keeping her from pressing outward, and she told her Master as much.

“What does one do when they encounter a wall in their path?” he asked her.

“Go around it,” she said, “or over it, or under. Or break through, I suppose, if they have enough strength.”

Luke chuckled. “They don’t simply press against it hoping to push it down?”

Rey colored. That happened to be exactly what she’d been doing each time. She stopped pushing against the strange wall, and instead reached upward, attempting to go over it. As high as she went, though, she couldn’t seem to find the top. She could see the clouds, the birds, and even the differences in the composition of the atmosphere . . . but no way over the wall. She switched tactics, instead reaching downward, down past the water and the sand, through the layers of sediment, to the bedrock. Still, there was no end to the depth of the wall. She tried to go around it, first to the left and then to the right. Still no way past the wall. Finally, she attempted to punch through it, but though it gave way slightly, she could not penetrate it.

Huffing, she gave up. She opened her eyes slowly, dreading the inevitable look of disappointment on her Master’s face again. But she was surprised to see him grinning widely at her.

“Well done, my young padawan,” he said, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

“What do you mean? I still couldn’t get past the wall,” she mumbled, massaging her forehead to relieve some of the residual tension.

“That’s because I wouldn’t let you,” Luke laughed.

Rey scowled at him. “It was you? But why would you hold me back like that? How am I supposed to break through anything _you_ put up?” she asked, fighting annoyance.

Luke lost his smile, looking at her seriously now. “You’ve got to get control of that temper,” he chided. “And you actually succeeded far beyond what I expected of you today.”

“How so?” Rey asked, blushing at the admonition but curious as to what his last words meant.

“Think about it. You nearly saw to the planet’s core, a much greater distance than from where we are to the shallows. In every direction but forward, you were able to see as far as you cared to see, which happened to only be as far as your patience would allow.”

Rey’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t even realized.

“You went farther than you expected, because you let go of those expectations. You were only expecting to get past the wall, which is what was holding you back all along. A Jedi expects nothing. They only observe, and act.”

“So in order to get past the wall, I have to stop expecting to get past it?” she asked.

“That’s part of it,” he nodded. “I think we’re done for the day. Go practice your saber drills while I make us some dinner.”

“Master Skywalker?” Rey ventured. “What’s the farthest you can see?”

Luke smiled again. “I’ll tell you some day. But I don’t want you to have any expectations for yourself. Now, go get your practice stick and I’ll see you at The Falcon when you’re done.”

Rey sighed, but turned to go do as she was told. She’d been training on this planet with Luke for almost six months now, and she’d hoped to be much more skilled at using The Force than she felt she currently was. But her Master was right, her expectations were holding her back. Big time. Once she could truly let go, she knew her training would speed up. Or, at least, she hoped it would.

Walking down the path a ways to where she’d left her makeshift lightsaber hilt, she picked it up and examined it. It was still just a hunk of driftwood, but that needed to change. She may not be able to have her own lightsaber yet, but she could make this one at least resemble it. She’d bring it back to her room later and see what she could do with a little carving.

In the meantime, she walked back to the open area where she went through her drills, slipping into her stance and jumping back into the movements easily. She felt a little foolish, and was glad nobody could see her doing this. But Luke had promised they could work on sparring soon, which she was looking forward to.

Half an hour later, Rey had finished and was jogging down the hill back to the Falcon. She slowed as she got to the ramp, where R2-D2 waited for her at the top. He chirped and whistled, and she grinned up at him. “Thanks. Is Master Skywalker up there?” she asked.

Another chirp confirmed that he was, so she mounted the ramp and headed into the main rec area of the ship. Chewbacca was there, and he and Luke seemed to be involved in conversation, so she took the opportunity to drop off her ‘saber’ in her room and take a shower. When she emerged and returned to the rec area, dinner was already laid out on the holochess board for her.

Her stomach growled, announcing her presence. Chewbacca growled at her to eat, and she sat down to do so with a smile of thanks. Luke brought over an old spherical device and a decrepit-looking helmet with a blast shield.

“After dinner, I figured you might want to try out an old training method Obi-Wan used with me,” he said, setting the device and helmet down on the round bench next to her.

Rey eyed them as she chewed, nodding enthusiastically. This was unusual, and she welcomed the break in routine. Plus, she’d get to experience firsthand one of Master Kenobi’s training methods, which her inner fan was jumping for joy about. Even though she’d been training with the legendary Luke Skywalker and living on the legendary Millennium Falcon for months, it still all felt a little surreal when she stopped to think about it. Her eyes widened when Luke unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, setting it on the table.

“This is not going to be a regular thing,” he cautioned, “you’ll still need to build your own saber. But since we don’t have the parts here, you can use mine when we do this exercise.”

Rey beamed through the mouthful of food she was eating. She finished chewing, swallowed, and said, “of course. Whatever you ask.” She hurried to finish the rest of her dinner, anxious for the rare opportunity to use the lightsaber. She’d initially thought it would constitute the majority of her training, but the opposite had proven to be true. She wouldn’t even be able to build her own lightsaber until they returned to D’Qar, so she’d all but given up on getting to practice with anything but her wooden hilt.

Chewbacca huffed out a laugh as Rey dropped her fork to her now-empty plate with a clatter. He took it away for her and she thanked him, sliding off the bench and picking up the spherical device. She examined its bumpy surface, attempting to figure out its function.

“Put on the helmet,” Luke said, taking the device from her and pressing a button on the side. He released it into the air as she slid the helmet on, and he handed her his lightsaber before stepping back toward the wall.

She stood, waiting patiently for instructions. “Activate the saber, and then reach out and see the device using The Force,” Luke said. “It’s going to start shooting at you, and I want you to deflect the bolts back at the device. Focus on anticipating the trajectory, and be ready to send it back by the time it reaches you.”

Rey took a deep breath, activated the lightsaber, and then reached out to see the device. Because it wasn’t actually alive, it wasn’t as easy to focus on as Luke or Chewbacca, but a slight vibration in The Force told her something was coming, and she lined the saber up just in time to deflect a laser from hitting her. Unfortunately, angling it so it would return to the target was easier said than done, and it took her several attempts before she managed to get it. Once she’d gotten it three times in a row, Luke pushed off the wall and deactivated the device.

“That’s enough for tonight,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rey turned off the lightsaber and shucked her helmet, setting both on the table and combing her fingers through her hair to tame it. She grinned. “That was fun,” she said. “Good night, Master. Good night, Chewbacca.” She gave the latter a hug, which he returned gently, and then she was off to her bunk for the night.


	2. Jessika Pava

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is working hard at her Jedi training on Ahch-To. Jessika is continuing her training at the Resistance base on D'Qar. Their paths haven't yet crossed, but when they do, some of that training is going to come in handy. Slow burn Reyva, switching POVs from chapter to chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in Jessika's POV (although there's a tiny bit of Poe POV at the end). I think you'll find this (reposted) chapter a lot different this time around. I added quite a bit of length, and a few more references to Rey. I also scrubbed some content I felt just didn't fit. Enjoy!

The early morning air had a crisp snap to it, though the day promised to be a warm one. The sky was a dark blue, but was gradually lightening by degrees as Jess ran through her pre-flight check.

Jessika Pava had memorized every inch of her beloved X-Wing, and knew all of its quirks. She'd made a few impressive modifications to the engine system in secret, which always gave her an edge when one of her more experienced fellow pilots challenged her to a race. Technically, using the X-Wings for any kind of recreational activity was strictly against the rules. They were, after all, the Resistance's best tool against the First Order. But Poe cut his pilots a lot of slack, knowing it wasn't just the X-Wings that kept the galaxy safe from tyranny.

A beep and whistle from behind her caused Jess to jump a little, turning just enough to see that BB-8 had rolled in and announced himself to her. She smiled and nodded.

"Hello," she greeted the spherical droid. "What brings you to the hangar this early?"

BB-8 chirruped and she laughed. "I just like to be the first in the sky each day. Most of the other pilots won't even be awake for a few more hours."

The droid rolled closer, letting off a series of excited warbles and beeps. Jess bit her lip in response. "I don't know," she said uncertainly, "if Poe found out I was taking his droid out for a joyride, he might get pretty mad at me."

An indignant whistle that roughly translated to "he's not the boss of me" had Jess chuckling and relenting. "All right," she said, standing and smoothing her flight uniform. "I've just finished my exterior check, so if you wanna hop aboard I'll be ready for takeoff in a couple of minutes."

BB-8 spun in place once before rolling over to the droid dock beneath the ship, activating the lift arms with a signal. He was quickly pulled up and snapped into position as Jess mounted the flight ladder and hopped down into the cockpit, lowering the shield into place and concluding her pre-flight check of the interior. They taxied out of the hangar and then Jess gunned the engines, causing the droid to release an exhilarated wail as they gained altitude a bit faster than was regulation.

Blue Three, as her X-Wing was designated, moved with the quick response and easy handling of a well-maintained vehicle. That, plus Jess's modifications, made it the pride of the fleet, next to Poe's Black Leader. It cut through the lower atmosphere smoothly, and soon the rising sun was shining blindingly in Jess's eyes. A quick adjustment to the shield's tint fixed the problem. She could have put on her flight helmet and lowered the sun shade on it, but she always liked the freedom of flying without it first thing in the morning. She'd put it on before landing so she wouldn't get in trouble, but this was one rule she didn't mind breaking with some degree of regularity.

Angling her flight path so she could cruise over the forest, Jess spent her morning in amiable conversation with the cheerful droid, taking the opportunity to learn as much as she could from BB-8’s databanks on her personal hero Luke Skywalker. She still couldn't believe he was actually going to come here. Knowing he and his new padawan would need an escort back from the remote planet, she'd been pestering Poe to let her fly the mission, but nothing had been decided yet.

After a good hour of patrolling, Jess returned to the base, slowing down considerably before entering the area. She taxied back into the hangar, which was now full of yawning pilots and busy sounds, and returned Blue Three to her spot. BB-8 beeped his thanks and Jess offered her own as he detached from the ship, rolling off on his merry way. Jess raised the shield and removed her helmet, fixing her hair as another pilot rolled the ladder up to the side for her.

"Thanks, Rimo," she said, climbing onto the ladder and sliding down.

Rimo nodded at her. "Poe let you take his droid out? Are you sleeping with him?" he asked, not without some jealousy.

Jess scoffed. "BB-8 just showed up during my pre-flight check. Wanted to take a ride. I didn't sleep with anyone."

"Told you she's a virgin," Snap called from his X-Wing. Jess rolled her eyes at Rimo and he flushed as Snap laughed at him.

"You two are children," she said, offering Snap an obscene gesture that was only met with more laughter from the two men. "I'm getting breakfast, assuming you didn't eat it all," she said as she walked away. Rimo gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder as she passed him and she pretended not to notice, her growling stomach more of a concern at this point than the rookie pilot with an inappropriate crush.

The mess hall was rapidly filling up with people, and Jess got her food and sat down at a table by herself, being the only pilot not in the hangar already. Volunteering for the first patrol of the day had its perks, but Jessika did wish she had someone to sit with while she ate. Most people left her alone, assuming the pilots only wanted to eat with other pilots or by themselves. It did, however, give Jess plenty of time to reflect on her earlier conversation with BB-8.

It seemed like the more she learned about Luke Skywalker, the cooler he became. As a kid, she actually used to wish she could lose one of her hands just so she could have a robotic one like him. She'd grown out of that particular desire quickly, but even as an adult she found herself captivated by any stories she could find about him. That girl, Rey, was so lucky to be training with him. Jess couldn't wait to find out if she'd be allowed to escort them back here. Poe had promised to make the decision by today, so she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

After breakfast, she headed back to the hangar to report in for her dailies. Poe was yelling at some rookie she hadn’t yet learned the name of, and she stood patiently, waiting for Poe to turn and notice her. The rookie, eager for his commanding officer’s wrath to be redirected, nodded behind Poe’s shoulder to notify him of Jessika’s presence.

“What?” Poe yelled, still worked up, but he deflated some when he saw the amused look on his best pilot’s face. “Sorry, Jess, hang on a sec.” He turned back to the rookie and pointed toward the simulators. “Back on the sims for now. You’re grounded until you can remember the difference between pitch and yaw. Those are _basics_ , rook. I don’t even know what you’re doing here right now. Go.”

The rookie scrambled away and Poe turned back to Jessika with a sigh. “Unbelievable.” He saw her raised eyebrow and rubbed his face, reorienting himself. “Right, your dailies. Um, I want you to take Blue squadron out for a trot today. Not just around the base, I need at least fifteen kilometers out of you. I don’t care where you go, but nobody walks.”

Jess groaned. “Fifteen K’s? It’s supposed to be hot today. C’mon, let’s make it ten.”

“Not gonna happen, Testor. You can jog naked for all I care, but you’re going the distance. Blue squad’s been getting lazy, and we can’t have our pilots out of shape. Moment’s notice, remember.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with me taking BB-8 out with me this morning, does it?” Poe cocked his head at her, confused. “Right, moment’s notice,” she said hastily. “Yeah, I agree, we’ve been getting lazy.” She blew out a puff of air. “Okay, fifteen K’s it is. But those showers better be empty when we get back,” she warned.

“I’ll save them for you special. Thanks, Jess,” Poe clapped her on the back as he moved away, heading for the simulators.

Jessika looked around the hangar, visually locating all her squad members before cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting, “listen up, Blue!” Once she was sure she had their attention, she continued. “We’re trotting today, so go slip into something more comfortable and meet me back here in ten minutes. And don’t forget to bring hydration.”

The chorus of groans she was met with did nothing to help her own sinking mood. She left the hangar quickly so she could get back to her quarters to change. The sooner they got outside and moving, the sooner the endorphins could help turn her attitude around. She planned to make good use of her free time later—she was going to try talking to General Organa about sending her to escort Skywalker back from Ahch-To, and didn’t want a sour disposition hurting her chances.

\--------------------- 

 _That could have gone better_ , Jess thought as she and the rest of Blue Squadron huffed and puffed their way back into the hangar at the end of their run, barely keeping formation. So much for endorphins helping her mood. The squad had been more out of shape than she’d expected, and what should have been (at most) a two-hour run had taken them three. It didn’t help that Snap kept getting ‘cramps’, repeatedly slowing down to a walk despite her threats to leave him behind.

Poe didn’t look surprised when he saw the group dragging themselves in late. Apparently he’d known how truly out of shape they all were. Jessika made a mental note to start running solo in the evenings, once the day started cooling down. She felt a personal responsibility to stay fighting fit, but as strong as she’d thought she’d been, she was feeling the burn of fifteen kilometers herself. She figured that girl who was training with Luke Skywalker could probably run circles around her at this point. That gave her extra motivation to refocus her own training.

She took a quick shower, visited her quarters to drop off her dirty clothes, then headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Poe stopped her on her way in, pulling her aside.

“Jess, I need to talk to you for a second,” he said.

Jessika straightened immediately, hoping he was about to say what she thought he was. “What’s up?” she asked, trying to hide her eagerness.

“First of all,” he said, “great job with the squad today. I know it couldn’t have been easy to keep them moving in the heat like that.”

“It was a bitch,” Jessika agreed.

“But obviously necessary,” Poe smirked. “Anyway, I’ve got a mission for you.” He laughed as her eyes lit up.

“I can go?” she gasped.

“You can go,” he chuckled. “General Organa says—oof!” the air rushed out of him as Jessika tackled him in an excited hug. He laughed, holding her back at arm’s length to finish his sentence. “General Organa says she wants one of our best pilots to head out next month for the escort. It’s a lot of space to cover alone, but I’m needed here for training and other things. You’re the only one I trust to handle the responsibility. First Order chatter has been practically nonexistent in this area since we blew up Starkiller Base, so you should have smooth sailing there and back.”

Jessika grinned widely at him. “Thanks, Dameron. You’re the best. Why aren’t you admiral yet?”

Poe shook his head, although he couldn’t help a smirk of his own. “Because I let you kids disrespect me too much, that’s why,” he said teasingly. Jess rolled her eyes and saluted him, clicking her heels for good measure. “Mission accepted, sir. Permission to dine with the swine?”

“Eat up, pilot. You’re going to need your strength soon enough,” Poe waved her off with a laugh. As he watched her collect her meal trey and find a seat, he wondered how she’d end up getting along with Rey, or Luke Skywalker for that matter. They all had such distinct personalities, it would surely be a thing to see.

Poe’d already eaten his lunch, giving himself enough time to go to the med bay and check on Finn. Rey had left him with explicit instructions to talk to him every day, hold his hand, read him a holonovel, keep his mind engaged in some way. Poe took this mission very seriously, and was often seen at Finn’s side at various parts of the day, cracking jokes or telling stories of the Rebellion and—his personal favorite—Anakin Skywalker, the terror of the galaxy. No pilot had ever come close to matching his proficiency, although Poe had certainly tried. He was dying to see how Luke Skywalker flew, and he’d hopefully be seeing that soon enough. But more importantly, there was a young man in this room he’d promised to spend some time with.


	3. Rey (and Jessika)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Jess and Rey meet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter in time for Valentine's Day! I actually have some pretty good stuff planned out for this story now...and I've got a separate one-shot I'm also working on. That should be out soon.

Rey added another chalk mark to the wall of her quarters. She’d been on Ahch-To for six months, two weeks, and three days now. Luckily, thanks to the compact datekeeping methods she’d devised on Jakku, she wouldn’t be running out of wall space anytime soon. She replaced the chalk on the shelf and let herself fall backwards onto her bed with a sigh.

Training had been moving along fine, but she had some personal issues she was still struggling with that had caused things to come to a standstill. Luke still had her running physical drills, but he’d switched from lessons on The Force to long stretches of meditation instead. He’d told her they couldn’t continue expanding her Force knowledge until she managed to master her own emotions, and she understood that, but it was easier said than done. She was getting cabin fever being stuck on this aquatic planet for so long, not used to being unable to wander long distances each day. The restlessness was settling deep into her bones. It might help if someone could tell her when they’d be going back to D’Qar. She was anxious to see Finn, and found herself missing General Organa. To really see any unbearded face.

Sitting up and tucking her legs underneath her, Rey let her eyes slide shut and prepared to enter a meditative state. She carefully attuned herself to The Force the way Master Skywalker had taught her. The light hum of the Falcon’s minimal power faded into silence, and she reached out, this time not using The Force to see, but to feel. She sensed Chewbacca just outside the Falcon, his contented mood helping to soothe her own. Reaching farther, she could sense Luke down on the beach, although his thoughts were closed to her as always. Feeling The Force was always easier than seeing, and she’d found that with very little instruction, she’d been able to sense all the way to Finn convalescing on D’Qar. He still hadn’t woken up yet, but there was another caring presence that always seemed to be close by his side—she knew it was Poe, so she figured he was in good hands.

She reached out to General Organa, who sensed her immediately and reached back, offering comfort and reassurance. This had become a nightly ritual for the two, a sort of mother-daughter bond having formed between them before she left. Although neither had the ability to speak to each other through The Force yet, they didn’t really find words necessary to convey their emotions. Rey felt a longing pull in her chest every time they did this, wishing she could have spent more time with her hero and role model before leaving for Ahch-To.

This time, it seemed as though the General wanted to tell her something. It didn’t feel urgent, necessarily, but Rey was curious to know what it was. She tried to narrow her concentration, but it was no use; she may as well have been listening from the outside of a soundproofed room. She let go of the connection and broke from her meditative state, sliding off the bed and putting on her boots before heading out to speak to Luke.

She caught him on his way back to the Falcon. “Master Skywalker,” she said. He acknowledged her with a nod. “Have you received any comms from General Organa lately? I was reaching out to her during meditation and she seemed to have something to tell me.”

Luke sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you this, because you’re sure to get distracted by it. But we’re going to be heading out soon. To D’Qar.”

Rey’s heart leapt. They were going back! “When?” she asked eagerly.

“Soon,” Luke said cryptically. “Have patience, padawan. Time doesn’t stand still, all things come to pass that will.”

“Yes, Master,” Rey said respectfully.

Luke’s mouth twitched. “That being said . . . the Resistance is sending an escort out tomorrow. We should be heading back in about a week.”

Rey grinned at him. “Something tells me your sister had more to do with this decision than you did,” she said.

“She certainly played a part. But I believe your training will benefit from being around more people. We don’t have the benefit of training with other Jedi, but you can at least interact with our allies and get a bit more diversity in your sparring.”

“I look forward to it, Master. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go to bed now.”

He clasped her arm with his, as had become their custom at parting, and they split ways to go to their individual quarters for the night.

\-------------------

Rey was in the middle of a one-handed handstand, attempting to Force-lift a stacked pile of stones without toppling them, when she sensed the X-wing pilot’s approach. She replaced her other hand back on the ground.

“Concentrate,” Luke chided her. “I sense it too. We’ll go down to meet her once you’ve successfully completed this exercise. Chewie can keep her occupied until then.”

Rey exhaled through her nose, let her eyes flutter shut, and cleared her mind, tuning out all distractions. She carefully balanced on one hand again, the months of hard training working in her favor. Her free hand reached out towards the stacked stones, and then she reached farther with the Force until she could feel the surface of each stone as if she were actually touching them. She then tuned into her Force vision, looking at the faint glow coming from the stones, and connected her inner Force with that in the stones. Once she felt the connection, she began to lift.

The pile didn’t even wobble. It was as though she were holding each stone individually, but lifting them all simultaneously—and truth be told, that was exactly what she was doing, only she wasn’t using her hands to do it. The weight of the stones felt different when Force-lifting; it had nothing to do with muscles and everything to do with control. That was why she was currently in a one-handed handstand. It used the majority of her muscle groups to keep her balanced, preventing her from attempting to use those muscles to help her lift the stones. She was instead required to concentrate on using the only other resource available to her for the task—the Force.

Luke stood with his own hand outstretched above the pile, although he wasn’t participating in their manipulation. Instead, his hand marked the height to which Rey had to lift the pile before setting it back down. His hand was held at his shoulder height, which Rey had thought was probably a bit optimistic. Her brow furrowed as beads of sweat began forming, and she realized she was going to have to devote more of her concentration to the stones than to her balance if she wanted to accomplish this. But if she fell, she’d have to start the entire process over again.

Her grasp on the Force was still somewhat elusive. It didn’t obey her every command the way it did for Master Skywalker. She understood that it would take time, but one of her biggest goals was to exceed her master’s expectations. Luke seemed to know this, because he always set his expectations for her very high, and she very seldom actually met them, much less exceeded them. There had only been a few times she had done that, and even then, Luke hadn’t given her much credit for it. Not that she was in it for that.

The pile had risen to about Luke’s waist by the time the X-wing pilot had made her way up the hill to where they were training. Apparently Chewie hadn’t gotten the memo about keeping her down at the Falcon until they returned. Luke sighed in annoyance (he seemed to do that a lot, considering his lessons on patience) but dropped his hand, signaling that Rey could relax her stance. She lowered the stones back to the ground, then allowed herself to roll out of the handstand into a crouch. She took a moment to catch her breath as the X-wing pilot finished her approach, then got to her feet, brushing herself off.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the pilot said. “I’m Jessika Pava, with the Resistance. I’ll be the one escorting you back to base.” She extended a hand to Rey, who shook it.

“Nice to meet you,” Rey greeted her. “This is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.” She moved aside so he could step forward and extend a hand to the pretty young pilot.

“You’re a little early,” Luke said, “I wasn’t expecting you until later this evening.”

“I ran into some trouble on my way over here,” Jessika said, trying not to look at Rey more than would be seen as normal. “A couple of TIE fighters were patrolling and I had to take them out. Normally I’d have conserved my hyperdrive, but I needed to get out of the area before I was discovered.”

Luke frowned. “They’ll be watching that area now. We’ll need to take a different route when we leave tomorrow.”

“I disagree,” Jessika said, and Rey’s eyes snapped to her face, a smile playing on her lips. She liked this girl.

“Excuse me?” Luke asked. He wasn’t used to being disagreed with.

Jessika seemed to realize her mistake, and apologized immediately. “What I meant was, I don’t think we should leave tomorrow. I think we should probably wait here for at least a week before heading back. The First Order will almost certainly conduct an investigation, and we don’t want to be out there when they do.”

Luke’s expression relaxed slightly. “You’re right. Good instincts. Rey, I want you to work on the Falcon with Chewbacca. Make sure she’s ready for a fight, if needed. And we’ll need to stock the hold with plenty of dried fish and seaweed, in case we end up having to put down on another planet on our way back.”

Rey made a face. “Wonderful,” she said sarcastically. Jessika chuckled and she smiled weakly at her. “I hate fish.”

Jessika lifted her eyebrows. “But not seaweed?” she teased.

“Surprisingly, no,” Rey replied. “The taste doesn’t linger with you the way fish does.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “We’ve still got plenty of normal rations on the ship. The fish and seaweed can be a last resort. I’m going to head down and let Chewie know what’s going on. Rey, you’ve got an hour of running and then I want you down helping with the Falcon.”

“Yes, Master,” Rey agreed readily.

Jessika watched in awe as Luke made his way down the stone steps, then turned back to Rey. “That’s the actual, real Luke Skywalker?” she asked, her eyes wide and her grin huge.

“In the flesh,” Rey smiled at her. “I’ve got to do my running, but I’ll catch up with you when I’m through.”

“Actually,” Jessika said, “would you mind if I ran with you? I’ve been flying for several days and I’d really like to stretch my legs.”

“Of course,” Rey said. She looked forward to getting to know this girl more. She’d picked Poe Dameron’s brain about flying X-wings, but she hadn’t met a female pilot yet. More than that, though, Rey felt drawn to the girl. She had been having difficulty looking away from her face as they’d been talking, particularly the girl’s soft-looking mouth. It was probably odd of her, but Rey had accepted that she was odd long before she’d even left Jakku.

“Great,” Jessika said. She unzipped her flight suit, shucking it off her shoulders, and then to Rey’s surprise, dropped the rest of it to her ankles, stepping out of it and her boots and leaving her only in a dark grey tank top and tight-fitting black shorts that came down to about mid-thigh.

“Y-you’re not going to wear shoes?” Rey stammered, trying to keep her eyes on the other girl’s.

“Never do when I run. It’s better for your feet. We can find a path that’s not so rocky, right?”

“We can run on the beach,” Rey nodded. “Maybe I’ll try it your way. The sand should be soft enough.” She knelt down to remove her boots, sliding them off and wiggling her toes at the feeling of fresh air finally reaching them.

The two of them made their way down the hillside opposite the stone steps. Rey’s feet were not as accustomed to being barefoot as Jessika’s were, so she found herself offering Rey a hand to steady her as they carefully descended the rock-scattered grassy hill and onto the beach to begin their run. Rey wouldn’t have lost her balance, but she liked the feel of the X-wing pilot’s hand in hers, so she took the offered help and tried to focus on not sweating too much.

Once on the beach, Rey gestured ahead of her. “You set the pace,” she offered,” and I’ll match it.”

“Sure you can keep up?” Jessika smirked.

Rey thrilled with the challenge. “I’m sure,” she nodded, putting on her game face. Jessika stared a moment too long, and Rey glanced at her questioningly, arching an eyebrow.

Jessika realized she was waiting for her to start, and snapped out of her daze. “We’ll see about that,” she laughed, taking off like a shot with Rey hot on her heels. They took turns passing each other a few times before settling into a comfortable jog, letting the rhythm of their footfalls take the place of conversation for the duration of the run.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they finished out the hour, and they climbed back up the hill to gather their things and then returned to the Falcon for a quick dinner before getting to work on checking the ship’s systems to get it ready for a possible battle. They parted ways at bedtime, Luke offering Jessika his quarters while he opted to return to the camp he’d been living on prior to Rey’s arrival on Ahch-To.

That night, as Rey lay in her bunk, she reached out with the Force and bid General Organa good night, searched around the island and beyond to be sure everything was in order, and then sought out the Resistance pilot just before drifting off, wondering at the strong connection she already felt to this girl she’d only met for the first time today. She didn’t think Jessika was Force-sensitive, so the pull had to be coming from somewhere else.

She fell asleep trying to figure it out.


End file.
